§ 104.3 - Contents of reports (52 U.S.C. 30104(b), 30114).

§ 104.3 Contents of reports (52 U.S.C. 30104(b), 30114).

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 216, Jan. 2, 2024.

Cross Reference

Link to a correction published at 89 FR 5421, Jan. 29, 2024.

(a) Reporting of receipts. Each report filed under § 104.1 shall disclose the total amount of receipts for the reporting period and for the calendar year (or for the election cycle, in the case of an authorized committee) and shall disclose the information set forth at paragraphs (a)(1) through (a)(4) of this section. The first report filed by a political committee shall also include all amounts received prior to becoming a political committee under § 100.5 of this chapter, even if such amounts were not received during the current reporting period.

(1) Cash on hand. The amount of cash on hand at the beginning of the reporting period, including: currency; balance on deposit in banks, savings and loan institutions, and other depository institutions; traveler's checks owned by the committee; certificates of deposit, treasury bills and any other committee investments valued at cost.

(2) Categories of receipts for all political committees other than authorized committees. All committees other than authorized committees shall report the total amount of receipts received during the reporting period and, except for itemized and unitemized breakdowns, during the calendar year for each of the following categories:

(i) Contributions from persons other than any committees;

(A) Itemized contributions from persons, other than any committees, including contributions from individuals;

(B) Unitemized contributions from persons, other than any committees, including contributions from individuals;

(C) Total contributions from persons other than any committees, including contributions from individuals;

(ii) Contributions from political party committees, including contributions from party committees which are not political committees under the Act;

(iii) Contributions from political committees, including contributions from committees which are not political committees under the Act but excluding contributions from any party committees;

(iv) Total contributions;

(v) Transfers from affiliated committees or organizations and, where the reporting committee is a political party committee, transfers from other party committees of the same party, regardless of whether such committees are affiliated;

(vi) All loans;

(vii) Offsets to operating expenditures;

(A) Itemized offsets to operating expenditures (such as rebates and refunds);

(B) Unitemized offsets to operating expenditures (such as rebates and refunds);

(C) Total offsets to operating expenditures;

(viii) Other receipts:

(A) Itemized other receipts (such as dividends and interest);

(B) Unitemized other receipts (such as dividends and interest);

(C) The total sum of all other receipts.

(ix) The total sum of all receipts.

(3) Categories of receipts for authorized committees. An authorized committee of a candidate for Federal office shall report the total amount of receipts received during the reporting period and, except for itemized and unitemized breakdowns, during the election cycle in each of the following categories:

(i) Contributions from persons other than any committees;

(A) Itemized contributions from persons, other than any committees, including contributions from individuals, but excluding contributions from a candidate to his or her authorized committees;

(B) Unitemized contributions from persons, other than any committees, including contributions from individuals, but excluding contributions from a candidate to his or her authorized committees;

(C) Total contributions from persons other than any committees, including contributions from individuals, but excluding contributions from a candidate to his or her authorized committees;

(ii) Contributions from the candidate, excluding loans which are reported under 11 CFR 104.3(a)(3)(vii));

(iii) Contributions from political party committees, including party committees which are not political committees under the Act, except that expenditures made under 11 CFR part 109, subpart D (52 U.S.C. 30116(d)),by a party committee shall not be reported as contributions by the authorized committee on whose behalf they are made;

(iv) Contributions from committees, including contributions from committees which are not political committees under the Act, but excluding contributions from any party committees;

(v) Total contributions;

(vi) Transfers from other authorized committee(s) of the same candidate, regardless of amount;

(vii) Loans;

(A) All loans to the committee, except loans made, guaranteed, or endorsed by a candidate to his or her authorized committee;

(B) Loans made, guaranteed, or endorsed by a candidate to his or her authorized committee including loans derived from a bank loan to the candidate or from an advance on a candidate's brokerage account, credit card, home equity line of credit, or other lines of credit described in 11 CFR 100.83 and 100.143; and

(C) Total loans;

(viii) For authorized committee(s) of Presidential candidates, federal funds received under chapters 95 and 96 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (Title 26, United States Code);

(ix) Offsets to operating expenditures;

(A) Itemized offsets to operating expenditures (such as refunds and rebates);

(B) Unitemized offsets to operating expenditures (such as refunds and rebates);

(C) Total offsets to operating expenditures;

(x) Other receipts;

(A) Itemized other receipts (such as dividends and interest);

(B) Unitemized other receipts (such as dividends and interest);

(C) Total other receipts;

(xi) Total receipts.

(4) Itemization of receipts for all political committees including authorized and unauthorized committees. The identification (as defined at § 100.12 of this chapter) of each contributor and the aggregate year-to-date (or aggregate election-cycle-to-date, in the case of an authorized committee) total for such contributor in each of the following categories shall be reported.

(i) Each person, other than any political committee, who makes a contribution to the reporting political committee during the reporting period, whose contribution or contributions aggregate in excess of $200 per calendar year (or per election cycle in the case of an authorized committee), together with the date of receipt and amount of any such contributions, except that the reporting political committee may elect to report such information for contributors of lesser amount(s) on a separate schedule;

(ii) All committees (including political committees and committees which do not qualify as political committees under the Act) which make contributions to the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date of receipt and amount of any such contribution;

(iii) Transfers;

(A) For authorized committees of a candidate for Federal office, each authorized committee which makes a transfer to the reporting committee, together with the date and amount of such transfer;

(B) For committees which are not authorized by a candidate for Federal office, each affiliated committee or organization which makes a transfer to the reporting committee during the reporting period and, where the reporting committee is a political party committee, each transfer of funds to the reporting committee from another party committee regardless of whether such committees are affiliated, together with the date and amount of such transfer;

(iv) Each person who makes a loan to the reporting committee or to the candidate acting as an agent of the committee, during the reporting period, together with the identification of any endorser or guarantor of such loan, the date such loan was made and the amount or value of such loan;

(v) Each person who provides a rebate, refund or other offset to operating expenditures to the reporting political committee in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $200 within the calendar year (or within the election cycle, in the case of an authorized committee), together with the date and amount of any such receipt; and

(vi) Each person who provides any dividend, interest, or other receipt to the reporting political committee in an aggregate value or amount in excess of $200 within the calendar year (or within the election cycle, in the case of an authorized committee), together with the date and amount of any such receipt.

(b) Reporting of disbursements. Each report filed under § 104.1 shall disclose the total amount of all disbursements for the reporting period and for the calendar year (or for the election cycle, in the case of an authorized committees) and shall disclose the information set forth at paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(4) of this section. The first report filed by a political committee shall also include all amounts disbursed prior to becoming a political committee under § 100.5 of this chapter, even if such amounts were not disbursed during the current reporting period.

(1) Categories of disbursements for political committees other than authorized committees. All political committees other than authorized committees shall report the total amount of disbursements made during the reporting period and, except for itemized and unitemized breakdowns, during the calendar year in each of the following categories:

(i) Operating expenditures;

(A) Itemized operating expenditures;

(B) Unitemized operating expenditures;

(C) Total operating expenditures;

(ii) Transfers to affiliated committees or organizations and, where the reporting committee is a political party committee, transfers to other political party committees regardless of whether they are affiliated;

(iii) Repayment of all loans;

(iv) Offsets;

(A) Itemized offsets to contributions (including contribution refunds);

(B) Unitemized offsets to contributions (including contribution refunds);

(C) Total offsets to contributions;

(v) Contributions made to other political committees;

(vi) Loans made by the reporting committee;

(vii) Independent expenditures made by the reporting committee;

(viii) Expenditures made under 11 CFR part 109, subpart D (52 U.S.C. 30116(d)), See 11 CFR 104.3(a)(3)(iii);

(ix) Other disbursements;

(A) Itemized other disbursements;

(B) Unitemized other disbursements;

(C) Total other disbursements;

(x) Total disbursements.

(2) Categories of disbursements for authorized committees. An authorized committee of a candidate for Federal office shall report the total amount of disbursements made during the reporting period and, except for itemized and unitemized breakdowns, during the election cycle in each of the following categories:

(i) Operating expenditures;

(A) Itemized operating expenditures;

(B) Unitemized operating expenditures;

(C) Total operating expenditures;

(ii) Transfers to other committees authorized by the same candidate;

(iii) Repayment of loans;

(A) Repayment of loans made, guaranteed, or endorsed by the candidate to his or her authorized committee including loans derived from a bank loan to the candidate or from an advance on a candidate's brokerage account, credit card, home equity line of credit, or other lines of credit described in 11 CFR 100.83 and 100.143;

(B) Repayment of all other loans;

(C) Total loan repayments;

(iv) For an authorized committee of a candidate for the office of President, disbursements not subject to the limitations of 11 CFR 110.8 (52 U.S.C. 30116(b));

(v) Offsets;

(A) Itemized offsets to contributions (including contribution refunds);

(B) Unitemized offsets to contributions (including contribution refunds);

(C) Total offsets to contributions;

(vi) Other disbursements;

(A) Itemized other disbursements;

(B) Unitemized other disbursements;

(C) Total other disbursements;

(vii) Total disbursements.

(3) Itemization of disbursements by political committees other than authorized committees. Each political committee, other than an authorized committee, shall report the full name and address of each person in each of the following categories, as well as the information required by each category;

(i) Each person to whom an expenditure in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $200 within the calendar year is made by the reporting committee to meet the committee's operating expenses, together with the date, amount, and purpose of such operating expenditure;

(A) As used in 11 CFR 104.3(b)(3), purpose means a brief statement or description of why the disbursement was made.

(B) Examples of statements or descriptions which meet the requirements of 11 CFR 104.3(b)(3) include the following: dinner expenses, media, salary, polling, travel, party fees, phone banks, travel expenses, travel expense reimbursement, and catering costs. However, statements or descriptions such as advance, election day expenses, other expenses, expenses, expense reimbursement, miscellaneous, outside services, get-out-the-vote and voter registration would not meet the requirements of 11 CFR 104.3(b)(3) for reporting the purpose of an expenditure.

(ii) Each affiliated committee to which a transfer is made by the reporting committee during the reporting period and, where the reporting committee is a political party committee, each transfer of funds by the reporting committee to another political party committee, regardless of whether such committees are affiliated, together with the date and amount of such transfer;

(iii) Each person who receives a loan repayment from the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of such loan repayment;

(iv) Each person who receives a contribution refund or other offset to contributions from the reporting committee where such contribution refund was reported under 11 CFR 104.3(b)(1)(iv), together with the date and amount of such refund or offset;

(v) Each political committee which has received a contribution from the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of any such contribution, and, in the case of a contribution to an authorized committee, the candidate's name and office sought (including State and Congressional district, if applicable);

(vi) Each person who has received a loan from the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date and amount or value of such loan;

(vii)

(A) Each person who receives any disbursement during the reporting period in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $200 within the calendar year in connection with an independent expenditure by the reporting committee, together with the date, amount, and purpose of any such independent expenditure(s);

(B) For each independent expenditure reported, the committee must also provide a statement which indicates whether such independent expenditure is in support of, or in opposition to a particular candidate, as well as the name of the candidate and the office sought by such candidate (including State and Congressional district, when applicable), and a certification, under penalty of perjury, as to whether such independent expenditure is made in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate or authorized committee or agent of such committee; and

(C) For an independent expenditure that is made in support of or opposition to a presidential primary candidate and is publicly distributed or otherwise publicly disseminated in six or more states but does not refer to any particular state, the political committee must report the independent expenditure as a single expenditure—i.e., without allocating it among states—and must indicate the state with the next upcoming presidential primary among those states where the independent expenditure is distributed, as specified in § 104.4(f)(2). The political committee must use memo text to indicate the states in which the communication is distributed.

(D) The information required by paragraphs (b)(3)(vii)(A) through (C) of this section shall be reported on Schedule E as part of a report covering the reporting period in which the aggregate disbursements for any independent expenditure to any person exceed $200 per calendar year. Schedule E shall also include the total of all such expenditures of $200 or less made during the reporting period.

(viii) Each person who receives any expenditure from the reporting committee during the reporting period in connection with an expenditure under 11 CFR part 109, subpart D (52 U.S.C. 30116(d)),together with the date, amount, and purpose of any such expenditure as well as the name of, and office sought by (including State and Congressional district, when applicable), the candidate on whose behalf the expenditure is made; and

(ix) Each person who has received any disbursement within the reporting period not otherwise disclosed in accordance with 11 CFR 104.3(b)(3) to whom the aggregate amount or value of disbursements made by the reporting committee exceeds $200 within the calendar year, together with the date, amount and purpose of any such disbursement.

(4) Itemization of disbursements by authorized committees. Each authorized committee shall report the full name and address of each person in each of the following categories, as well as the information required by each category.

(i) Each person to whom an expenditure in an aggregate amount or value in excess of $200 within the election cycle is made by the reporting authorized committee to meet the authorized committee's operating expenses, together with the date, amount and purpose of each expenditure.

(A) As used in this paragraph, purpose means a brief statement or description of why the disbursement was made. Examples of statements or descriptions which meet the requirements of this paragraph include the following: dinner expenses, media, salary, polling, travel, party fees, phone banks, travel expenses, travel expense reimbursement, and catering costs. However, statements or descriptions such as advance, election day expenses, other expenses, expenses, expense reimbursement, miscellaneous, outside services, get-out-the-vote and voter registration would not meet the requirements of this paragraph for reporting the purpose of an expenditure.

(B) In addition to reporting the purpose described in paragraph (b)(4)(i)(A) of this section, whenever an authorized committee itemizes a disbursement that is partially or entirely a personal use for which reimbursement is required under 11 CFR 113.1(g)(1)(ii)(C) or (D), it shall provide a brief explanation of the activity for which reimbursement is required.

(ii) Each authorized committee of the same candidate to which a transfer is made by the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of such transfer;

(iii) Each person who receives a loan repayment, including a repayment of a loan of money derived from an advance on a candidate's brokerage account, credit card, home equity line of credit, or other lines of credit described in 11 CFR 100.83 and 100.143, from the reporting committee during the reporting period, together with the date and amount of such loan repayment;

(iv) [Reserved]

(v) Each person who receives a contribution refund or other offset to contributions from the reporting committee where such contribution refund was reported under 11 CFR 104.3(b)(2)(v), together with the date and amount of such refund or offset.

(vi) Each person who has received any disbursement(s) not otherwise disclosed under paragraph (b)(4) of this section to whom the aggregate amount or value of such disbursements exceeds $200 within the election cycle, together with the date, amount, and purpose of any such disbursement.

(c) Summary of contributions and operating expenditures. Each report filed pursuant to § 104.1 shall disclose for both the reporting period and the calendar year (or the election cycle, in the case of the authorized committee):

(1)

(i) The total contributions to the reporting committee;

(ii) The total offsets to contributions;

(iii) The net contributions (subtract total offsets from total contributions);

(2)

(i) The reporting committee's total operating expenditures;

(ii) The total offsets to operating expenditures;

(iii) The net operating expenditures (subtract total offsets from total operating expenditures).

(d) Reporting debts and obligations. Each report filed under 11 CFR 104.1 shall, on Schedule C or D, as appropriate, disclose the amount and nature of outstanding debts and obligations owed by or to the reporting committee. Loans, including a loan of money derived from an advance on a candidate's brokerage account, credit card, home equity line of credit, or other lines of credit described in 11 CFR 100.83, obtained by an individual prior to becoming a candidate for use in connection with that individual's campaign shall be reported as an outstanding loan owed to the lender by the candidate's principal campaign committee, if such loans are outstanding at the time the individual becomes a candidate. Where such debts and obligations are settled for less than their reported amount or value, each report filed under 11 CFR 104.1 shall contain a statement as to the circumstances and conditions under which such debts or obligations were extinguished and the amount paid. See 11 CFR 116.7.

(1) In addition, when a political committee obtains a loan from, or establishes a line of credit at, a lending institution as described in 11 CFR 100.82(a) through (d) and 100.142(a) through (d), it shall disclose in the report covering the period when the loan was obtained, the following information on schedule C-1 or C-P-1:

(i) The date and amount of the loan or line of credit;

(ii) The interest rate and repayment schedule of the loan, or of each draw on the line of credit;

(iii) The types and value of traditional collateral or other sources of repayment that secure the loan or the line of credit, and whether that security interest is perfected;

(iv) An explanation of the basis upon which the loan was made or the line of credit established, if not made on the basis of either traditional collateral or the other sources of repayment described in 11 CFR 100.82(e)(1) and (2) and 100.142(e)(1) and (2); and

(v) A certification from the lending institution that the borrower's responses to paragraphs (d)(1)(i)–(iv) of this section are accurate, to the best of the lending institution's knowledge; that the loan was made or the line of credit established on terms and conditions (including interest rate) no more favorable at the time than those imposed for similar extensions of credit to other borrowers of comparable credit worthiness; and that the lending institution is aware of the requirement that a loan or a line of credit must be made on a basis which assures repayment and that the lending institution has complied with Commission regulations at 11 CFR 100.82(a) through (d) and 100.142(a) through (d).

(2) The political committee shall submit a copy of the loan or line of credit agreement which describes the terms and conditions of the loan or line of credit when it files Schedule C-1 or C-P-1. This paragraph (d)(2) shall not apply to any Schedule C-1 or C-P-1 that is filed pursuant to paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

(3) The political committee shall file in the next due report a Schedule C-1 or C-P-1 each time a draw is made on a line of credit, and each time a loan or line of credit is restructured to change the terms of repayment. This paragraph (d)(3) shall not apply to any Schedule C-1 or C-P-1 that is filed pursuant to paragraph (d)(4) of this section.

(4) When a candidate obtains a bank loan or loan of money derived from an advance on the candidate's brokerage account, credit card, home equity line of credit, or other line of credit described in 11 CFR 100.83 and 100.143 for use in connection with the candidate's campaign, the candidate's principal campaign committee shall disclose in the report covering the period when the loan was obtained, the following information on Schedule C-1 or C-P-1:

(i) The date, amount, and interest rate of the loan, advance, or line of credit;

(ii) The name and address of the lending institution; and

(iii) The types and value of collateral or other sources of repayment that secure the loan, advance, or line of credit, if any.

(e) Use of pseudonyms.

(1) To determine whether the names and addresses of its contributors are being used in violation of 11 CFR 104.15 to solicit contributions or for commercial purposes, a political committee may submit up to ten (10) pseudonyms on each report filed.

(2) For purposes of this section, a pseudonym is a wholly fictitious name which does not represent the name of an actual contributor to a committee.

(3) If a committee uses pseudonyms it shall subtract the total dollar amount of the fictitious contributions from the total amount listed as a memo entry on line 11(a) of the Detailed Summary page, Unitemized contributions from individual persons other than political committees. Thus, the committee will, for this purpose only, be overstating the amount of itemized contributions received and understating the amount of unitemized contributions received.

(4) No authorized committee of a candidate shall attribute more than $1,000 in contributions to the same pseudonym for each election and no other political committee shall attribute more than $5,000 in contributions to the same pseudonym in any calendar year.

(5) A committee using pseudonyms shall send a list of such pseudonyms under separate cover directly to the Reports Analysis Division, Federal Election Commission, at the street address identified in the definition of “Commission” in § 1.2 of this chapter, on or before the date on which any report containing such pseudonyms is filed with the Commission. The Commission shall maintain the list, but shall exclude it from the public record. A committee shall not send any list of pseudonyms to any Secretary of State or equivalent state officer.

(6) A political committee shall not use pseudonyms for the purpose of circumventing the reporting requirements or the limitations and prohibitions of the Act.

(f) Consolidated reports. Each principal campaign committee shall consolidate in each report those reports required to be filed with it. Such consolidated reports shall include:

(1) Reports submitted to it by any authorized committees and

(2) the principal campaign committee's own report. Such consolidation shall be made on FEC Form 3–Z and shall be submitted with the reports of the principal campaign committee and with the reports, or applicable portions thereof, of the committees shown on the consolidation.

(g) Building funds.

(1) A political party committee must report gifts, subscriptions, loans, advances, deposits of money, or anything of value that are used by the political party committee's Federal accounts to defray the costs of construction or purchase of the committee's office building. See 11 CFR 300.35. Such a receipt is a contribution subject to the limitations and prohibitions of the Act and reportable as a contribution, regardless of whether the contributor has designated the funds or things of value for such purpose and regardless of whether such funds are deposited in a separate Federal account dedicated to that purpose.

(2) Gifts, subscriptions, loans, advances, deposits of money, or anything of value that are donated to a non-Federal account of a State or local party committee and are used by that party committee for the purchase or construction of its office building are not contributions subject to the reporting requirements of the Act. The reporting of such funds or things of value is subject to State law.

(3) Gifts, subscriptions, loans, advances, deposits of money, or anything of value that are used by a national committee of a political party to defray the costs of construction or purchase of the national committee's office building are contributions subject to the requirements of paragraph (g)(1) of this section.

(h) Legal and accounting services. A committee which receives legal or accounting services pursuant to 11 CFR 100.85 and 100.86 shall report as a memo entry, on Schedule A, the amounts paid for these services by the regular employer of the person(s) providing such services; the date(s) such services were performed; and the name of each person performing such services.

(i) Cumulative reports. The reports required to be filed under § 104.5 shall be cumulative for the calendar year (or for the election cycle, in the case of an authorized committee) to which they relate, but if there has been no change in a category reported in a previous report during that year (or during that election cycle, in the case of an authorized committee), only the amount thereof need be carried forward.

(j) Earmarked contributions. Earmarked contributions shall be reported in accordance with 11 CFR 110.6. See also 11 CFR 102.8(c).

(k) Reporting Election Cycle Activity Occurring Prior to January 1, 2001. The aggregate of each category of receipt listed in paragraph (a)(3) of this section, except those in paragraphs (a)(3)(i)(A) and (B) of this section, and for each category of disbursement listed in paragraph (b)(2) of this section shall include amounts received or disbursed on or after the day after the last general election for the seat or office for which the candidate is running through December 31, 2000.

[45 FR 15108, Mar. 7, 1980]

Editorial Note

Editorial Note:

For Federal Register citations affecting § 104.3, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.